Saturday, July 24, 1999 Published at 19:30 GMT 20:30 UKWorld: South AsiaPolice close Bangladesh's oldest brothelProstitutes have been protesting about the crackdownHundreds of police in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, have carried out an early-morning operation to close down the country's oldest and largest brothel.

Police arrived at 4am local time, but most of the women had already heard about the raid and escaped. A number of women were taken on buses to two rehabilitation
centres, said Mir Sahabuddin, director of social welfare
department.

"The action was taken as a part of the rehabilitation
programme," Mr Sahabuddin said.

A spokeswoman for the Tanbazar Movement of Solidarity, a
platform of women's organisations, condemned the police action.

"It was totally unnecessary when a process on rehabilitation was
going on," she said.

The brothel in Tanbazar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, was established in 1888. Its official closure two weeks ago came as part of moves to provide alternative housing for the prostitutes working there and to help them find work outside the sex
trade.

At least 2,000 sex workers have refused the offer. They fear they will eventually end up in centres intended for beggars. But about 600 others have agreed to move.

On Thursday, the sex workers held a large demonstration against the planned
closure.
They demanded human rights and women's rights groups be involved
in welfare plans for sex workers.

Bangladesh is one of the few Muslim countries where prostitution is
legal.

A local journalist said that
most of the prostitutes who did not accept the rehabilitation plan
were already operating from streets or parks in major cities.

Tthe brothel is thought to have been shut on the
initiative of the area's member of parliament and not as part of any concerted
action by the authorities.